If there is anything Albanians have taught me so far, it would be how to be hospitable and love people well.
Each week we get to do house visits. This is exactly what it sounds like; we go in small groups to a house of someone in the Roma community and just spend time with them and do a bible study. Every time they provide is with a drink…or two,a warm fire, a nice place to sit, and great conversation. They treat us so well and won’t take no for an answer.
We are about an hour outside of Tirana, and so a couple of times we have ridden the public bus into the city for a day. The first few times we weren’t quite sure where the stop was to get on the bus. So, we asked people in EXTREMELY broken Albanian for directions. They didn’t just point us in the right direction, they walked us to the stop, made sure we got on the right bus safely and sent us off with a friendly wave. And this has happened on multiple different occasions. This was not a one time deal, people. They ALL are this nice. One man was our server at a coffee shop, and he TOOK HIS BREAK (what?!) in order to walk us probably half a mile to the correct bus stop. He waited and made sure we got on the correct bus, too. Person after person would go completely out of their way to help us.
This is probably the main reason I love this place. The people just LOVE SO WELL. The man that sells bananas on the corner says “Hello” every morning with the biggest smile. The people at the fruit and veggie market have a pad of paper that they write the cost of my purchase on, because they know I still stink at Albanian. The man at the phone store gave us a free Ballakume cookie on Spring Day. When we first got here it was cold and the only shoes I had were sandals – EVERYONE that saw me was so extremely concerned and I literally had multiple people offer me shoes. The guy at our favorite sandwich shop gave us free drinks. The street food guy, Eddie, gave Natalie and me free lunch for absolutely no reason.
The list goes on and on and on.
These people are interruptible. They don’t let their expectations of what they want or need their day to look like stop them from serving the people around them.
One of my favorite things about our ministry here in Albania is that we get a small chance to give back and attempt to love them as well as they love us. The house that my team and I get to live in is the place where the community gathers to praise and worship Jesus. (Isn’t that so special?!) They come on Wednesday for prayer meetings, on Saturday the young men have a youth group type of thing (obviously we’re not invited, so I don’t really know what goes on), every weekday morning we have a feeding program, and on Sunday we have kids church and a regular church service.
We get to invite people into our kitchen every single day of the week and we get to do life with these people. We pray for each other and share prayer requests. We learn together. We worship together. We sip tea and laugh together. We play sharks and minnows in the rain together.
Today was just another day on the race. Nothing exciting or new, just a normal Sunday. My teammate, Carina, and I had a slow morning and sat in our favorite cafe for a little bit. I drank a macchiato and surfed the web for awhile. After lunch, we gathered as a team to plan what we would do for kids church – a story, a game, songs, etc. About an hour before church we did a clean sweep of the house. We made sure the kitchen was picked up, dishes put away, counter cleaned, and the entryway was swept before everyone arrived.
This Easter was extremely ordinary. We didn’t wear our Sunday’s best. We didn’t have a fancy dinner or eat lots of chocolate. We didn’t do anything differently than any other day. And I think that is why it was so special. We praised the Lord and reflected on the sacrifice He made for us and we got to spend the day preparing our little tiny kitchen as a place for our neighbors to come to know the Lord a little more.
I hope this comes as encouragement to love the people around you well. Do that little thing that you know will make someone smile. Go the extra mile to help someone out.
Be praying for your people. Serve them. Listen to them. Worship with them. Do something that may be out of your way or out of your comfort zone. Let them interrupt your life – that is where I’ve really seen the Lord move.
I believe that this is exactly what we are called to do as believers. We have all been commissioned to love, serve, and make disciples – it doesn’t have to be complicated or difficult, we just have to be open to it.
In John 13:15, Jesus sets an example for us to follow. After washing His disciples’ feet — an act of love, humility, and service — He encourages us to follow His lead and serve one another.
Jesus, the Son of God, the Most High King, never placed himself in a position above others. He led by serving, and He loved by serving. He washed feet. He fed thousands. He walked to visit and heal the sick and dead. He stopped to touch and heal a sick woman. He spent time with those no one else cared to spend time with. Jesus lived a life of humility.
Jesus showed us that serving others and humility go hand in hand.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Philippians 2:3-5
Serving others is more than keeping up with your to-do list. To be a servant means we genuinely need to care about people. It’s keeping our eyes, hearts, and schedules open for divine appointments. Jesus was not stressed by time, what others thought of Him, or a list of tasks to accomplish each day. Jesus was led by the Spirit of God and followed His promptings to serve, love, and help others. No task was ever beneath Jesus, and no person was ever unworthy.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
John 13:35
The greatest joy I have found on this journey has been letting God intervene. When I am open to what God has for each day…wow. That’s when I am able to see the little ways I can love and serve people. That’s when the divine appointments happen. That’s when those life changing conversations happen. That’s when people really see the love of Jesus through you.
Serving is simple, people. It’s not always an event that you have to pencil in to you schedule. It’s not always a homeless person on the side of the road. Just be open to it and the Lord will open your eyes.
Every single person you encounter is a soul that could be changed by the love, grace, and freedom that Jesus has given us by the sacrifice He gave to us on this day.
Don’t stop yourself from seeing those people. In doing this, I guarantee you will find so much joy.
